


they're not immortal, just harder to kill

by meng_ren



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Gen, Mentor/Protégé, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 06:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4050337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meng_ren/pseuds/meng_ren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kim Sunggyu’s first impressions were correct: his new partner was impulsive, irresponsible, and reckless. But Nam Woohyun was much more than that.</p><p>[Tokyo Ghoul AU]</p>
            </blockquote>





	they're not immortal, just harder to kill

**Author's Note:**

> Please excuse yet another humble work of fiction. No knowledge about Tokyo Ghoul should be necessary to understand this story.

“Congratulations on your mission, First Class Investigator Kim Sunggyu. You completed your objective exactly as I thought you would,” said the Special Class Investigator as she read through a personnel report. “You know what I like most about you?”

Sunggyu shifted in his seat, just a bit, to hide his discomfort. “No, I don’t, Ma’am,” he responded honestly.

“It’s that you’re so calm and calculating nowadays,” she replied with a smile, throwing the file onto her desk. “You kill Ghouls with such methodical precision. You know how they’re going to react, and you act accordingly, without ever becoming overconfident. And you never get too heated in battle. You’re not like the Doves who join because they lost a father or a mother or a sibling. Those Doves, they charge in and get blinded by their rage, and you know what happens? They lose their life when the Ghouls take advantage of that. But that’s not what you do. You kill Ghouls because it’s your job. And I like that.

Sunggyu didn’t let any emotion register on his face as he heard that, but he did nod. “Thank you, Commander Park,” he replied.

“So tell me, what about that new guy I sent you. Nam Woohyun? It’s been a month since your first mission together. Is he still doing his job well?” The Special Class asked, and Kim Sunggyu felt a bolt of lightning shoot up his spine.

“Erm, yes, he’s doing great,” Sunggyu responded. His supervisor gave him a puzzled stare.

“Is something the matter, First Class Investigator?” She asked.

Sunggyu managed to sit up straight by this time, cleared his throat, and spoke in his usual detached manner. “Rank 2 Investigator Nam Woohyun has performed admirably so far over the course of his probationary period. There have been no serious issues.” He cleared his throat again, for good measure.

“Oh.” The Special Class said. She sat forward in her chair. “I’m surprised to hear that Kim Sunggyu, called the ‘Golden Loner’ by his CCG colleagues, has actually found a person he’s able to work with.

“I wasn’t aware I had such a reputation,” Sunggyu responded quietly.

“That’s not the point. Tell me more, First Class Investigator Kim Sunggyu. Tell me about Nam Woohyun.”

—

“I’m sorry, Mr. Nam. There was nothing more that we could have done. Investigator Na got here as fast as she could. I couldn’t have taken care of the Ghouls by myself,” the Dove said, sitting besides Woohyun on the curb of the street.

Woohyun said nothing, keeping his forehead resting on his crossed arms as he sat silently.

“Ladybug and Quill were two A-class Ghouls. When there’s more than one A-class Ghoul, the Commission of Counter Ghoul demands that a single Ghoul Investigator must wait for support. I wish I could have helped, but it was just me versus two of them,” she continued. “I would have done anything I could to help you save your friend, but I couldn’t.”

She got up from the curb and walked away. As she did, Woohyun looked out to stare at the street, where a dozen bodies lay. The CCG and police had already laid the tarps over the bodies, and had sealed off the entire area with tape. A bit further off, what was left of the Ghoul known as “Ladybug” was slumped against the side of a building. A trail of blood indicated the escape of the Ghoul called “Quill.”

Woohyun didn’t blame her, the local Ghoul Investigator. She was young and inexperienced. It was the other Dove, her partner from the Main Office, that he blamed. She should have been here earlier. When she arrived, she tore through Ladybug with ease, wielding an anti-Ghoul Quinque weapon like a spear and skewering the hideous Ghoul as if the Ghoul’s normally-resistant skin were nothing more than paper. The force of the impact caused Ladybug’s torso to be separated from the lower half of her body, sending it flying. Quill would have been next, if she hadn’t ran from the Doves at the first chance she had. And even then, the Dove from the Main Office managed to slice off an arm.

If the CCG had just arrived ninety seconds earlier, Lee Sungyeol would still be here, alive, talking about the recent Ghoul attack, instead of lying on the street dead, with his ribcage crushed and his neck snapped.

But Sungyeol might have been alive if it wasn’t for him. If he, Nam Woohyun, hadn’t asked Sungyeol to come to the bookstore with him. There was a girl group signing merchandise here. He wanted Sungyeol to come and wanted to purchase a few CDs or posters while he was at it. And then the Ghouls came, fighting each other in all their fury. Their kagunes, the Ghoul organ that distinguished Ghouls from humans, were already on display.

Ladybug had a kagune shaped like a shield. Quill had a kagune shaped like three tentacles with a ball of spikes hanging at each end. And the two raged, right outside the bookstore. Woohyun didn’t know what it was about. Maybe it was about that disgusting Ghoul habit where they staked out grounds for hunting and feeding on humans. Or maybe it was a matter of pride and respect. He didn’t know. And he didn’t care, not when they went around killing people. Killing Sungyeol.

Ladybug physically ended Sungyeol’s life, but it provided no comfort to Woohyun that she was dead. As far as he cared, Quill was just as responsible. Ladybug had been trying to hit Quill with her kagune, extending the shield halfway across the city block. Quill dodged the attack, and the kagune instead struck Sungyeol. Sungyeol had been running away from the fighting, just on Woohyun’s heels, when he turned around. He caught the full force of Ladybug’s attack and was thrown into the air. And Woohyun was just barely able to turn around in time, just before seeing Sungyeol fall back to the ground.

Woohyun stopped paying attention to the Ghoul battle. He just remembered being bent over Sungyeol, seeing the crushed mass that was Sungyeol’s chest and Sungyeol’s lifeless eyes open and blank. He didn’t dare touch Sungyeol, and he knew it wouldn’t matter, and he just crouched there, for just a short period of time. And then he turned around to see the Dove from the Main Office jump through the air and catch Ladybug off-guard.

It couldn’t have been more than two minutes since Sungyeol was hit. If Sungyeol had been given just two minutes, maximum, he would be up and about and breathing. He would be okay. But he wasn’t.

After a short while, Woohyun got up, staring at where the Main Branch’s Ghoul Investigator was standing and talking nonchalantly to one of the local Bureau Investigators.

“I wouldn’t have any idea of where Quill went,” she started, addressing the local. “It’s a surprise I’m even here. I was sent to the 8th Ward on a temporary assignment, and if you don’t mind, I really need to get back there—hey!”

Woohyun didn’t even feel his hand reach for the Investigator’s lapels, and he found himself staring right in her eyes.

“Why? Why?” He asked. He wanted to say _Why weren’t you there in time_ , but the words didn’t come out fully. She understood though.

“I did my best,” she responded, looking him in the eyes. She used one hand to steadily push Woohyun away and turned back to the Bureau Investigator. “As I said, Peregrine is hopping between the 8th and 12th Wards, and I need to make sure at all costs that he doesn’t meet up with Mad Hatter. So if you don’t mind, I’m heading out.”

She brushed past Woohyun, her shoulder rather forcefully knocking Woohyun out of the way, as she picked up her Quinque weapon and its case. But right before she continued walking, she turned back to Woohyun, who was still standing there with an expression as angry as before.

“What are you looking at me for? You want these Ghouls killed? Do it yourself!” She huffed and turned on her heels.

Woohyun applied to join the CCG the next day.

They refused him, of course. The CCG Academy required applicants for the Ghoul Investigation program to be 21 at least, and he had to pass an entrance test anyways.

So he applied again when he was 21. His scores on the entrance exam weren’t the highest out of the entering class, but they were high enough to get him into the Academy. He met the physical fitness requirements with ease. **  
**

Three years of class later, he graduated in the upper half of his class, and the first thing he did was to walk up to that Ghoul Investigator, also a dedicated Academy instructor, and point out that he had graduated.

“You wanted me to do things myself? Well here I am,” he said, proudly wearing his CCG uniform, as he pointed to the dove on the CCG crest.

She was unimpressed. “Come back to me after you’ve made your first kill. Some investigators don’t get past the first assignment.”

Woohyun thought his jaw probably dropped at that statement. Not because it was incorrect, but because the woman sounded as unphased as the day he first met her.

“I’ll survive,” he retorted.

“Who’s your first partner?” She continued.

“First Class Investigator Kim Sunggyu,” he snapped.

“The Golden Loner?” She mused. “I didn’t even know he still trained rookies. I heard about a girl who was assigned to him last year, and he spoke to her maybe three times in a month before she quit. Good luck.”

As before, she turned away without waiting for Woohyun to finish, prompting the man to stare in disbelief as the woman walked off.

He was going to show her, all right.

—

When he first met Sunggyu, the older man was scowling.

Woohyun’s first words to his partner were “Why the long face, _hyung_?”

He never saw the kick coming which caught him in the ribs and sent him flying onto his face.

“I would have done that anyways, just to make sure you weren’t so weak I couldn’t use you, but let that be a reminder that it is nothing less than ‘First Class Investigator Kim’ to you, Nam Woohyun.”

Woohyun got up to his feet without difficulty. His ribs weren’t cracked and he wasn’t spitting blood. Things were okay. “I understand,” he responded.

“Good. Then get ready for your first mission,” Sunggyu ordered.

—

Their first mission together, after their initial briefing and a forced exchange of pleasantries, was in the 22nd Ward.

“We’re dealing with a Ghoul called Tin Man. His kagune is like a shield,” Sunggyu said, handing Woohyun a file.

“He’s rated B. Isn’t that pretty high for a first mission?” Woohyun asked. “Why would you choose this so early?”

“You can quit and ask for another mentor,” Sunggyu deadpanned.

“Never,” said Woohyun with a smile, which only grew larger as he noted the irritated expression that crept across Sunggyu’s face. “I’m sure you’re going to be a great sunbae.”

“It’s First Class Investigator Kim to you,” Sunggyu responded.

“Why? I can’t call you _hyung_. Why can’t I call you _sunbae_?”

“Because I don’t want anything that even hints of being informal. No _hyung_. No _sunbae_. Just First Class Investigator Kim.”

Sunggyu handed Woohyun a file, opening it and presenting it to the other man.

“Tin Man. Real name unknown. B-class rating. His kagune looks like a shield. He killed a considerable number of civilians while working for the 4th Ward’s Marionette, but he left after that big operation there last month. Now he’s south of the Han River and he’s just gotten into our district. We’ve got a tip that he’s been spotted at a factory here. Now he’s our issue,” Sunggyu said, reciting facts from memory after reading the file just once. Woohyun in the meantime was frantically trying to read all of the information in the file.

“I’m starting you off with Ghouls that are strong not because I want to scare you, but because you need to be able to deal with strong opponents if you’re with me. I’m a target. Ghouls want to kill me. You’re not going to get your feet wet by dealing with weaker enemies first. Don’t be surprised if the Ghouls that attack me are A-class and S-class rated enemies,” Sunggyu said. He looked Woohyun in the eyes once more. “Are you sure you want to work with me?”

It was the phrase “A-class” that stirred up memories for Woohyun. Memories of Sungyeol, and Ladybug, and Quill. Quill was an A-class. She was nowhere near the 22nd Ward, of course. But still, A-class was the class he needed to be able to deal with, and destroy as soon as possible.

“I’m sure, First Class Investigator Kim,” he said, standing up straight. “I wouldn’t want anything less.”

They found themselves on the outskirts of the 22nd District, in a decaying industrial area that Ghouls frequented and Doves avoided, outside an abandoned factory. Sunggyu and Woohyun arrived at the same time in two cars, as their combined Quinque weapons were too large to fit in just one.

The streetlights in the area had broken down a while ago, and the street’s pavement was cracked and chipped. It was exactly the type of area where Doves were highly vulnerable. As trained but normal humans, the CCG’s Ghoul Investigators couldn’t see as well as Ghouls and couldn’t maneuver around as quickly as them either.

“How well do you know your weapon?” Sunggyu asked, carrying the briefcase with his Quinque. “A Ghoul Investigator needs to know his weapon as an extension of his body, the same way Ghouls use their kagune. A Quinque is not a tool that you can throw away once it gets worn out and dull.”

“I got it, I got it,” responded Woohyun. “I’ve been using the same type of weapon since I started at the CCG Academy.”

“At the same time, don’t get too upset if this particular Quinque turns out to be useless. You have to use any methods possible to defeat the Ghouls. That includes getting a new weapon,” Sunggyu warned, his voice growing stern. **  
**

“I understand, okay? Now let’s just get started,” Woohyun responded. Sunggyu glared for a moment but turned to walk inside.

The two of them entered the massive structure of the abandoned building, where pipes and broken machines were strewn across the floor. It was dark, and neither of them could see well. Only faint rays of moonlight filtered through the windows at the top of the building to provide illumination into the inside.

Sunggyu pushed open the door just a bit to fit his weapon’s briefcase in, and put a finger to his lips to silence Woohyun. Woohyun entered immediately afterwards, equally silent.

Sunggyu was unnaturally quiet as he stepped through the building. He waved at Woohyun to take a left as he went right. The tip might’ve been right: Woohyun could smell blood just by walking around. This place must have been used as a feeding ground where Ghouls ate humans. Woohyun peered at one of the heavy industrial machines. He reached out a gloved finger to wipe along the side, and proceeded to smell it. It was dusty, and before Woohyun could control himself, he felt his nose wrinkle, and he sneezed. The sound was a shot through the silence.

The moonlight illuminating him was suddenly obscured by a Ghoul leaping up in a flash, and Woohyun barely dodged it in time as the Ghoul came crashing down on the ground. Woohyun swung his briefcase as a shield just in time to block the Ghoul’s punch. He dodged a kick and jumped back to avoid a second punch. But he tripped as he was walking backwards, only for the Ghoul to catch him clean in the stomach with a stomp to his torso.

“Ah!” Woohyun yelled, turning his head as he cursed. “Investigator Kim, where are—”

The Ghoul had been about to kick Woohyun again in the stomach when the Ghoul jumped again to avoid Sunggyu, who was swinging a Quinque sword. The Ghoul leaped to the top of a piece of machinery, and Sunggyu followed.

“Get after him!” Sunggyu yelled, not even bothering to ask if Woohyun was alright. The Ghoul and the Dove were leaping off, before Woohyun could even respond, so Woohyun got to his feet and pulled out the Quinque weapon in his briefcase.

The weapon’s name was the Mark 8 Whisper, and like Sunggyu’s weapon it was a blade weapon. But Woohyun separated the weapon into two blades before he ran out of the factory. He didn’t hear any fighting sounds, but he didn’t know what that meant. So when Woohyun ran out of the building, he found himself surprised to see not one but two Ghouls.

“I should have predicted this,” Sunggyu said, facing up towards the two Ghouls, each perched on top of a telephone pole. “4th Ward’s Tin Man needed a protector. 22nd Ward’s Scorpion needed a new henchman.”

The two masked Ghouls only snickered. Their silhouettes were dark against the glare of city lights behind them.

“It was easy to lure you out,” hissed the bulkier Ghoul on the left, whose kagune covered his right arm like a shield. This must have been Tin Man.

“The best thing about the Doves is that you always operate in pairs. That way we can always kill two of you at the same time,” said the one on the right. This one had a kagune extended from his tailbone, like a stinger. This must have been Scorpion.

Sunggyu must have noticed Woohyun at this time, even if he didn’t turn around or indicate this.

“Investigator Nam, I want you to think really carefully if you want to help me. I’ve already called for support. We’re dealing with a Class-A and a Class-B. I don’t want you to get in my way.”

“No, I won’t!” Woohyun shouted back. “I’m not going to leave you.”

“Idiot!” Sunggyu snarled. “You think I’m afraid of dying? I’m more worried about you!”

Woohyun couldn’t help but smile when Sunggyu said that. “Thanks _hyung_.”

“It’s First Class Investigator Kim Sunggyu to you, and I want you to remember that.”

The rest of the battle went on quicker than Woohyun thought. The A-class, Scorpion, leaped towards Sunggyu, and it was the weaker B-class, Tin Man, that Woohyun fought. Woohyun figured he lucked out. The Ghoul he fought clearly had no experience in dealing with a dual-wielded Quinque. After Tin Man jumped the ground, he flailed around trying to hit the Dove. Woohyun was able to block the Ghoul’s arm with one half of Whisper while counter-attacking with the other. From there, Woohyun felt like he inflicted a dozen small injuries on the Ghoul without receiving any of his own. He parried, blocked, and slashed his way to the upper hand while the Ghoul began to falter. Eventually, the Ghoul was caught off guard, and Woohyun was able to inflict a serious slash that took off the Ghoul’s left arm. As the Ghoul screamed, Woohyun slashed again, slicing through the Ghoul’s abdomen and nearly reaching the spine. The Ghoul fell to the ground as his kagune disappeared, looking up at Woohyun. Though the Ghoul was masked, Woohyun was sure that he was looking at the Dove with an expression of fear.

“How does it feel to be the hunted one now, Ghoul?” Woohyun sneered. He put the blade right at the Ghoul’s neck. The tip of the Quinque weapon made the tiniest incision, and Woohyun watched as blood trickled down from the cut in the Ghoul’s neck.

“How many people do you think were in your position, facing death before you took their lives?” He pulled the blade out of flesh, as the Ghoul winced.

“Well you know now, Ghoul, and it’s the last thing you’ll ever know.” Woohyun kept the blade pointed at the Ghoul while smiling.

Sunggyu in the meantime was having a bit more difficulty than Woohyun. He had dealt with many A-class Ghouls. Maybe not every day. More like every month. But he had plenty of experience. He knew when to leap away from Scorpion’s tail, so that the kagune overshot him and struck the factory’s concrete wall. He also knew when to use his Quinque to parry the kagune’s attack, so that he could run past it and attack the Ghoul. But Sunggyu’s Quinque was unsuitable for attacking Scorpion’s type of kagune. Even if he could keep himself alive with ease, he found it hard to actually land a blow that could injure.

“What’s wrong, can’t land a blow?” The Ghoul said with a laugh. “I guess I overestimated you and the CCG. All you can do is run, can’t you?” The Ghoul sent the kagune at Sunggyu again. This time, Sunggyu didn’t just dodge it. He jumped and landed on the kagune for just a split second, before leaping into the air again. The Ghoul was caught unaware, and Sunggyu managed to slice him across the eyes with a heavy swing of the Quinque weapon. The Ghoul was in the middle of a scream that was ended mid-cry, when Sunggyu swung again and the Ghoul’s head was separated from the rest of the body. The corpse crumpled to the ground with a fountain of blood spraying from the neck.

Sunggyu got to his feet, turning around to see Woohyun taunting the other Ghoul. Woohyun had the blade at the Ghoul’s throat, pressing just deep enough to draw blood without seriously injuring.

“Are you scared, Ghoul, now that the CCG killed your friend? Or do you Ghouls even have friends? I don’t believe you do. It’s not right for Ghouls to pretend to have friends like humans do.” Woohyun’s eyes were blazing with fury as he raised his blade into the air for one final blow.

“You all should just die. I’m going to kill you the way you Ghouls killed my friend: without any mercy or—” Woohyun’s speech was cut off when Tin Man manifested his kagune and swiped with his right arm. The blow caught Woohyun in the side and sent backwards a distance. The Ghoul had healed himself while Woohyun was in the middle of his monologue.

“Woohyun!” Sunggyu responded, running over with his Quinque weapon. The remaining Ghoul tried to run, but Sunggyu was quicker. Before the Ghoul got more than three steps, Sunggyu had already overtaken him, slicing the Ghoul clean along the waist and separating the Ghoul in two. Sunggyu turned back towards the other Ghoul Investigator, who was lying on the floor clutching his arm.

“No, not like this,” Woohyun gritted through clenched teeth. “I have to—”

“Quit being so dramatic, Woohyun. You’re going to live, and I’d be surprised if your arm is even broken,” said Sunggyu. “And what was that with the Ghoul? Never, ever take more time to kill a Ghoul than necessary. You want that to happen again?”

Woohyun gave yet another cry, clenching his arm and his bruised side, and he lay curled against the ground. He passed out from the pain before the medical help came.

—

Woohyun felt himself regain consciousness. He was lying on his back, so he figured he was in a hospital or at least in a CCG base. When he opened his eyes, the first people he saw were to his left. To his surprise, they were Investigator Na, seated next to Commander Park.

Woohyun tried weakly to salute, but Na stopped him. “Don’t even try to consider that your first kill, Nam Woohyun. But congratulations on surviving your first mission. That’s no longer a given these days, when Ghouls have become stronger.” Her tone was as brusque and efficient as ever.

“What she means,” Commander Park said with a smile, “is that she’s glad you survived but she won’t let you take credit for Kim Sunggyu’s accomplishment.”

“How do you know First Class Investigator Kim?” Woohyun asked, trying to seat himself upright.

“Call him Sunggyu,” Na continued. “He acts all frosty on the outside, but he’ll open up to you once you know him. He was my student at the Academy and also one of my partners a few years ago. Has he taught you my maxims? ‘Don’t think of your Quinque as a tool’ or ‘Never taunt when you can deal the finishing blow’?”

Woohyun nodded weakly.

“Well, Sunggyu is coming back to check up on you. He went out to get coffee, of all drinks, for just a moment. But when he comes back, I want you to call him Sunggyu- _hyung_. That’s an order,” Na said. She got up, while Park remained seated.

Sunggyu returned two minutes later, with a can of coffee in his hand. Park took note of Sunggyu’s arrival and subsequently exited the hospital room with a smile. Sunggyu looked down at Woohyun with a bemused expression.

“Sunggyu- _hyung_.” Woohyun said affirmatively. He wriggled upright, with his injured but unbroken arm in a sling.

“Who told you to call me that?” Sunggyu scowled.

Woohyun’s face broke into a huge smile. “A little bird told me.”

“Wipe that smile off your face,” Sunggyu countered. There was silence for just a moment. Sunggyu looked at Woohyun with an expression that hinted, just maybe, at concern.

“So I can call you that?” Woohyun pressed on.

“No.” Sunggyu said, trying to be assertive.

“So that means yes?” Woohyun continued.

Sunggyu kept silent for a good ten seconds before he answered. “I meant yes.”

“And _hyung_ , can you treat me to dinner or something due to my injury?” Woohyun said, as he rolled on to his side to face Sunggyu.

“Don’t push the envelope too far.”

“Is that a yes?”

“That was a yes.”

The two of them were silent again, for a few seconds as Sunggyu took the time to turn away from Woohyun to physically press down the corners of his mouth to stop himself from smiling. Then he turned back. Sunggyu resumed talking.

“Back when you were being dramatic, what was that about your friend? And what you had to do?”

Woohyun felt his smile leave him at once, and he turned to look at Sunggyu.

“When I met you, I didn’t tell you why I joined the CCG, right?”

Sunggyu shook his head. “No, and I didn’t really care then.”

“Four years ago, my best friend was killed in a Ghoul attack. The actual Ghoul who killed him is dead, but the Ghoul she was fighting is still out there. I can’t die or leave the CCG until I know that the other Ghoul is dead too,” Woohyun said. He turned to look out the window, where the sun was shining over Seoul.

“I’m sorry,” Sunggyu said, unable to make eye contact.

“You’ve never lost somebody to a Ghoul attack?” Woohyun asked, and Sunggyu pushed his seat just a bit away from Woohyun in response.

“Not really, no. That’s not why I joined the CCG. I don’t know what it feels like to lose a person important to you like that. I mean, I know people who have been killed in Ghoul attacks, but they were also CCG,” Sunggyu said, looking at the ground.

“What do you mean?”

Sunggyu sighed. “It was my first partner. I looked up to him. He wasn’t like me right now. He was brash, and cocky, and he fought hard because he lost somebody close to him. In some ways, he was like you. But that passion hurt him in the end. He died eleven months into my training period, just before he was going to go mentor some other Investigator.” Sunggyu shifted his body uncomfortably. “He was fighting a Ghoul and he was just full of rage. He was so full of rage that he didn’t notice his opponent had a partner until it was too late. ”

“And ever since … so with your other partners?” Woohyun asked. Sunggyu nodded slightly.

“Ever since,” started Sunggyu. “I knew I should have been there. I should have realized there was a second Ghoul, but I didn’t. Since then, I’ve never wanted a partner. I’ve never wanted to risk somebody else’s life.

“And that kick when we met?”

“I hoped it would be enough to make you request a new partner immediately. It’s a trick that worked on others before.”

Woohyun smiled again. “I guess you are just a big softy, aren’t you?”

“What did you say, Nam Woohyun!” Sunggyu responded in shock.

“Don’t worry about me,” Woohyun reassured him, reaching out to pat Sunggyu’s arm. “I can’t believe I’ve got such a great partner. Don’t worry, _hyung_ , I won’t die on you.

—

Sunggyu sighed as he felt Commander Park’s eyes bore into him.

“Nam Woohyun is the ultimate rookie. He’s not cautious in battle. He thinks he’s immortal. This partnership can’t last long. If he’s not killed in battle soon, then I’ll be the one dying of worry,” Sunggyu said, exasperated. “But despite that, he’s proven to be intelligent and resourceful, and has performed equal to or better than any other Ghoul Investigator I’ve worked with. Overall, he’s done a good job. And he’ll get better.”

Park smiled. “He sounds like you when you first joined, before experience changed you. I think you’ll make a great pair. I assume you don’t want another partner?”

It was Sunggyu’s turn to smile. “No, I couldn’t wish for anyone better.”

**Author's Note:**

> The extent of Sunggyu and Woohyun's relationship is left solely to the interpretation of the reader. Apologies for writing Sunggyu as a tsundere and for killing off Sungyeol before actually introducing him as a character. This good-for-nothing writer humbly seeks the reader's forgiveness.


End file.
